Trademark lawsuit filed against Meta by virtual-reality company MetaX

MetaX appeared in court saying that it had been "crushed" by Facebook's rebranding

Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. was slapped with a trademark lawsuit in Manhattan federal court by MetaX LLC. MetaX LLC is a company that develops immersive virtual-reality experiences. New York-based MetaX appeared in court saying that it had been "crushed" by Facebook's rebranding and said that its "ability to operate as Meta has been eviscerated."

The company accused Meta Platforms of infringing its federal "Meta" trademarks and requested the court to block the social media company from using "Meta" for goods and services that overlap with MetaX's. It also claimed an unspecified amount of money damages. Meta Platforms rebranded from its eponymous social networking platform in October 2021, betting that the Metaverse, a shared virtual realm, will succeed mobile internet. MetaX's founder, Justin "JB" Bolognino, said in a statement that Meta Platforms had "not only put our business in jeopardy but that of the entire industry and the intellectual property rights of the innovators that have helped build it." The company said in the lawsuit it had discussed a potential partnership with Facebook in 2017 and that a Facebook executive had praised one of MetaX's experiences that year as "amazing" and "spectacular."